Rise and shine, everyone, another busy day is on the way. And it is getting off to a good start here on the Pharmalot campus, where we have clear blue skies, although the temperature is a bit frigid. Of course, this means that it is time to reheat the coffee kettle for another cup of stimulation. Our choice today is Jack Daniels, a pantry favorite. Please feel free to join us. And now, here are your tidbits. Hope you have a productive and meaningful day, and, as always, please do keep in touch. We have adjusted our settings to accept postcards and telegrams. …
AstraZeneca said it will invest $15 billion in China through 2030 to expand medicines manufacturing and research and development, as U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Beijing, Reuters writes. The announcement marks the biggest deal so far during the trip, as the U.K. seeks to strengthen ties with Beijing at a time of strained relations with Washington. Even as AstraZeneca invests heavily in the U.S., led by a $50 billion manufacturing deal last year, it continues to build its business in the second-biggest market after scandals including the arrest of its president of operations in China in 2024. AstraZeneca has invested billions of dollars in the country since 2012, including $2.5 billion in a Beijing research and development hub in March last year, its second after a Shanghai site opened in 2024. China accounts for about 12% of total revenue.
U.K. ministers are under growing pressure to end the “secrecy” around the government deal with the U.S. over the cost of medicines, which critics claim is “a Trump shakedown” of the National Health Service, The Guardian reports. Members of Parliament from the Labor Party and several opposition parties want the government to publish its impact assessment of the agreement it reached last month with the Trump administration. Under the deal, the U.K. will pay more for new medicines and let the NHS spend more on life-extending medicines in return for U.K. pharmaceutical exports to the U.S. avoiding tariffs. The deal has prompted concern among health experts that it could cost the U.K. government and the NHS billions extra a year to fulfill those pledges by the end of the deal in 2035.Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…